Protecting your family is important… and easier than you think.

“Is my family protected in the event of a tragedy?”

It’s not a question any of us would like to contemplate, let alone confront head on. But that’s what Fredricka has been forced to do.

Fredricka and Jim had been happily married for 22 years. Over the past two decades, they’d bought a home, had two sons and started a shipping business.

After a recent downswing, the business was just starting to turn the corner, lifting the family’s prospects—that is, until the unimaginable happened. After an early morning jog, Jim collapsed, the result of sudden cardiac arrest triggered by an undiagnosed heart rhythm disorder. He was only 49 years old.

For Fredricka, grappling with the loss of her husband and life partner has been the hardest experience of her life. On top of the emotional devastation, the ordeal has revealed an uncomfortable truth: while pouring every resource into the business, Jim and Fredricka neglected to fund their own safety net—leaving her with modest savings and no life insurance.

As Jim’s funeral approaches and the bills pile up, Fredricka has been grappling with a painful question: “What could my family have done to avoid a crisis like this?”

What can you do?

Read more about financial stress, the mental toll it can take—and how securing your loved ones’ financial future can ease your worries.